Flush hosiery hanger

ABSTRACT

The hanger comprises a flexible cord having a loop and two standing parts, a stop member on said loop, preferably slidably mounted thereon, and a slide tube carried by said standing parts for shortening said loop, the standing parts having hanging bars at their ends with reduced tips for piercing spaced portions of the hose to be supported, the slide tube and stop enabling firm securement of the flattened loop and standing parts about a support.

United States Patent 1191 Ono Sept. 3, 1974 FLUSHHOSIERY HANGER2,351,523 6/1944 Langer 223/87 x 2,792,979 5/1957 C l 223/96 [76]Inventor: Iwao Ono, 78 Ajll'Oklta l-chome, I 2,997,217 8/1961 2 n 2 M13x Osaka, Japan 3,171,577 3/1965 Lindegren 211/119 x [22] Filed: May 18,1973 Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich [21] Appl. No.. 361,411Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hall & Houghton [30] Fgreiggn 2rkpglicationPriority Data 7 7 42 [57] ABSTRACT 4 June 1 7 apan 5 9 The hangercomprises a flexible cord having a loop 52 U.S. Cl 223 85 223 95, 211113 and standing Paris a member Said i511 Int. Cl. A47j s 1/94Preferably slidably mounted there, and a Slide tube [58] Field of Search223/85 92 95 51 96 carried by Said standing Parts shmening said 1001,223/52 1 the standing parts having hanging bars at their ends withreduced tips for piercing spaced portions of the [56] References Citedhose to be supported, the slide tube and stop enabling firm securementof the flattened loop and standing UNITED STATES PATENTS parts about aSupport 800,518 9/1905 Wardwell 223/85 X 1,804,314 5/1931 Brun 223/85 X5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FLUSH HOSIERY HANGER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to hangersfor supporting hosiery for airing, drying, or for sale. As feet areinclined to perspire, washing and drying of hose, or at least airing anddrying thereof, after each wearing, is highly desirable to preserve thehose and to avoid development of fungus and other foot infections.

2. Description of the Prior Art It has heretofore been customary to useclothes pins or metal spring clips for supporting hosiery to air or dry.Such devices are awkward and the spring clips are apt to rust. Also suchdevices have not been well adapted for easy flat storage with orseparate from the hose, or to be sold as part of a hosiery package, orto serve as a packaging aid. Indeed, in the case of elastic top socks,or stretch socks, it has been the custom to sell the same stretched oncardboard forms which are simply thrown away by the purchaser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simple hosieryhanger that can lie flush in a flat package or any place of storage, andthat can be used by the purchaser to support the hosiery for airing ordrying, or for drying and subsequent storage, in paired association, and

which can be produced as a jewelry item, or can be mass producedsufficiently cheaply to be used as a giveaway or packaging element bythe hosiery vendor. The construction and operation thereof will be madeevident by the following description and accompanying drawings ofpreferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hosiery hanger, illustrating a modeof hanging it on a hook or other open ended protruberance,

FIG. 2 is a perspective detail illustrating a mode of hanging the deviceon a closed end bar or other support shown in phantom lines,

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail illustrating a mode of hanging the deviceon a vertical bed post or the like,

FIG. 4 is a detail illustrating the engagement of one end of the devicewith the mouth portion of one of a pair of hose to be supported thereby,and

FIG. 5 is a detail in plan of another embodiment with a sock-mouthspreader, with its engagement with a sock illustrated in phantom lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the hosieryhanger, which is adapted for hanging hosiery in pairs for sale, airing,or drying, comprises a flexible cord having two standing parts 3 and aloop portion 3 between them. This .cord may conveniently have a lengthof about 15 to 18 inches. The loop portion 3 is provided with a stop 4thereon. This stop 4 may take various forms but in the form shown is abead about /4 to 12 inches in diameter. In the preferred embodiment thestop 4 is slidably mounted on the loop 3' of the cord near the centerthereof. The two standing parts 3 pass through a tubular slide 5, whichmay have a flanged end 5 to facilitate its movement, if desired, and thehanger further comprises two relatively stiff or rigid hanger bars 1which may be constructed of relatively inexpensive rust-proof highquality material such as bamboo, hard wood, plastic or metal, e.g.aluminum, secured, respectively, to the free ends of the standingportions 30f the flexible cord. Such hanger bars 1 may have for example,a circular cross section of about 5 mm diameter, and a length of about10 mm. With the stop 4,-slidably mounted, sliding of the cord 3, 3through the stop member 4 and slide 5 enables adjustment .of the bars 1to the same height or to different heights, as desired, and movement ofthe slide 5 toward and away from the stop 4 decreases or increases thesize of the loop 3', for the purpose hereinafter described.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the ends of the hanger bars 1 are formedwith reduced fabric penetrating sections 2 providing piercing elementsand abutments 2 between the piercing elements and the bar body. Thus, asbest illustrated in FIG. 4, the bar may be positioned somewhat insidethe mouth of the hosiery,

and its ends 2 may be engaged in the mesh of the knitted fabric atpoints which stretch the fabric between them. With elastic top menshose, or with stretch hose, these points may be diametrically oppositeeachother; with flare-top hose, they may be less than diametricallyapart, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fabric being stretched sidewaysbetween them so that its elasticity will hold the hosiery on the hangerbars. The shoulders 2' from which the penetrating sections 2 protrudeprevent the fabric from sliding along the bars and thus maintainitstension.

Still referring to FIG. 1, if the hanger is to be supported by a hook orother open ended support, the loop 3' may simply be hung thereon, thestop 4 lying idle under these conditions. Usually, however, showercurtain rods, towel racks, bed-posts, and the like have closed ends orinaccessible ends, and the combination of stop 4 and slide 5 is veryuseful in such situations, because by simply passing the flattened looparound the support (e.g. horizontal support 10 in FIG. 2 or verticalsupport 11 in FIG. 3), passing the stop through the part of the loopproximate to the slide 5, and moving the slide 5 along the standingparts toward the support, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hanger may besecurely attached to the support. Such secure attachment, of course, mayalso be employed with open hook sup ports, when wind or the like mightdislodge a loop merely hung on the support as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 1.

As above mentioned, the stop 4 is preferably slidably mounted on theloop 3', so that the position of the stop may be adusted to adjust therelative lengths of said standing parts to facilitate drying of a pairof hose by not placing them in face-to-face contact during drying.

Still referring to FIG. I, the cord may readily be attached to thehanging bars 1 by providing the latter with a centrally located groove,and knotting the cord ends to the bars in such central grooves, by adouble half hitch, or other suitable knots, as shown.

Finally, for heavy hosiery used in cold seasons or for skiiing, it maybe desirable to provide for holding the hosiery somewhat open fordrying. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5, the hanging bars 1 mayhave auxiliary bars 6 pivoted thereto at the centers thereof androtatable to lie cross-wise thereof for holding open the mouth of theitem of hosiery supported on said bars. Such auxiliary bars 6 may besecured to the hanging bars 1 as by pivots 14; or may themselves becentrally grooved and be secured in the same knots engaging the centralgrooves of the bars 1; or said auxiliary bars may be simply centrallytransversely perforated and be threaded onto the respective standingparts 3 of the cord before the attachment thereof to the rods 1. Byusing such auxiliary bars the socks may hang stretched in the air in anoval cross section to facilitate rapid drying.

The hosiery hanger of this invention may be produced either as a jewelryitem of precious metal and gems, or it may be made so inexpensively thatit may be given away with a pair of hose. It may be used to secure apair of hose to each other, and/or to a display card, for sale; or tosecure a pair of hose together to prevent separation thereof duringwashing. Its convenience will foster its use and promote washing anddrying of hose with consequent improvement in foot health.

For travelling the hanger may be left in the hose keeping the pairtogether, and will occupy only a minimum of space, either in suchcondition or when detached from the hose. The hanging bars 1 and stop 4assure against loss from the cord of the slide member 5, as the slidemember 5 cannot pass thereover. Hence the device comprises no separablesmall parts apt to become lost in use.

While there have been described herein what are at present consideredpreferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the essence of the invention. It is thereforeunderstood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and notrestrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in theappended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaningand range of equivalents of the claims are intended to be includedtherein.

l claimas my invention:

1. A hosiery hanger for hanging hosiery for sale, airing, drying, orstorage, which comprises:

a. a flexible cord having a loop portion and two standing ports,

b. two relatively rigid hanging bars secured centrally, respectively, tothe free ends of the standing parts of said flexible cord,

c. a stopelement on said loop portion, and

d. a tubular slide through which both of said standing parts are passed,movement of which reduces and increases the size of the loop portion,

e. said hanging bars having reduced fabric penetrating sectionsextending outwardly from each end of said hanging bars in substantiallyparlalel relationship therewith for piercingly engaging spaced portionsof the hose fabric for supporting the same,

f. said stop member and slide cooperating to enable said loop inflattened condition to be passed around a support and be secured theretoby passing said stop member through the part of said loop proximate tosaid slide and moving said slide along said standing parts toward suchsupport.

2. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said stop member beingslidably mounted on said loop, whereby the position thereof adjusts therelative lengths of said standing parts.

3. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars beingcentrally grooved, and said cord being knotted to said bars in saidcentral grooves.

4. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars havingauxiliary bars therewith to lie crosswise thereof for holding open themouths of items of hosiery supported on said hanging bars.

5. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 4, said auxiliary bars beingrotatably mounted adjacent said hanging bars.

1. A hosiery hanger for hanging hosiery for sale, airing, drying, or storage, which comprises: a. a flexible cord having a loop portion and two standing ports, b. two relatively rigid hanging bars secured centrally, respectively, to the free ends of the standing parts of said flexible cord, c. a stop element on said loop portion, and d. a tubular slide through which both of said standing parts are passed, movement of which reduces and increases the size of the loop portion, e. said hanging bars having reduced fabric penetrating sections extending outwardly from each end of said hanging bars in substantially parlalel relationship therewith for piercingly engaging spaced portions of the hose fabric for supporting the same, f. said stop member and slide cooperating to enable said loop in flattened condition to be passed around a support and be secured thereto by passing said stop member through the part of said loop proximate to said slide and moving said slide along said standing parts toward such support.
 2. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said stop member being slidably mounted on said loop, whereby the position thereof adjusts the relative lengths of said standing parts.
 3. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars being centrally grooved, and said cord being knotted to said bars in said central grooves.
 4. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars having auxiliary bars therewith to lie crosswise thereof for holding open the mouths of items of hosiery supported on said hanging bars.
 5. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 4, said auxiliary bars being rotatably mounted adjacent said hanging bars. 